Chapter 58: Asuna’s True Place Is Here

Chapter 58: Asuna's True Place Is Here

The next morning, the morning mist at the Teleportation Plaza had not yet cleared.

Two boys stood idly chatting by the crystal pillar.

Hachiman had droopy, lifeless eyes as he stuffed bread into his mouth, while Kirito was spinning his one-handed sword like a top.

"Asuna being late is really rare, huh?"

"Well, after all, she's the vice-commander who treats punctuality as a life creed," Kirito said, poking the ground with the sword's hilt. "Do you think the Knights of the Blood have taken her for an early meeting?"

Just as they were discussing whether to contact Asuna, the teleportation portal suddenly stirred.

Before they could react, an orange afterimage streaked out with a fierce wind—

"Move aside, move aside!"

"Hm?"

The next second, Asuna rushed out of the portal.

It seemed she had jumped high and rushed into the portal; noticing she was about to fall like a mountain onto Hachiman, she hurriedly shouted a warning.

But Hachiman remained expressionless, reflexively opening his arms. In an instant, he caught the soft and fragrant "projectile" in his arms.

Asuna's orange hair covered his face, and she hung around his neck like a koala.

"Caught you." Hachiman bounced the person in his arms lightly. "Hey Asuna, are you treating the teleportation portal like a drop tower ride?"

"I-I don't care what you think!" Asuna's ears turned so red they looked like they might bleed, but she stubbornly held her neck high.

Seeing this pose, Kirito immediately whistled, "Nice!"

"Hey Asuna, that's way too dangerous! If it had been someone else, they'd have definitely crashed into you. Didn't your teacher tell you not to run in the hallways?"

"Ah, sorry, teacher~"

"Who's your teacher anyway?"

Asuna, who should have been flushed with embarrassment, instead stared fixedly at the teleportation portal.

Hachiman and Kirito followed her gaze and saw another figure appear.

"Asuna-sama! Acting on your own will only make your subordinates very troubled... You brat! Let go of Asuna-sama!"

The air suddenly grew quiet.

The newcomer was the bodyguard Kuradeel.

Although it was natural for bodyguards to accompany their charge, today's mission did not require a bodyguard, and more strangely, they had already refused the bodyguard's help.

Hachiman looked down at the ruffled Asuna in his arms, then up at the furious Kuradeel, and suddenly showed a forced smile that a corporate worker might have when dealing with unreasonable clients:

"As you can see, I'm acting as a human cushion for the vice president of the Knights of the Blood. If I hadn't caught your vice-captain, she would have fallen and bruised her nose and face by now."

"What? That really is—thank you... No way! How is anyone supposed to believe that pose!"

"Oh? The pose?" Hachiman deliberately pulled Asuna closer into his arms. "Does this count as forcing your way in like a tyrant?"

Gasps arose from the surrounding crowd.

Only then did Asuna realize the situation.

She hurriedly jumped down, tidied her skirt, and cleared her throat to explain: "Kuradeel, what he said is true. Besides, I already said yesterday that I don't need a bodyguard."

"B-But..."

"More importantly! Why have you been standing outside my house since early morning?"

"To be safe, I've been executing morning guard duty outside your residence for a month," Kuradeel said proudly, as if he saw nothing wrong with that.

"...A month?"

The three simultaneously thought of the words "stalker."

Noticing Hachiman's unprecedentedly impatient expression, Asuna quickly asked, "That's not an order from the captain, right?"

"Bodyguard duties naturally include monitoring the residence..."

"No, they don't!" Asuna said coldly.

"You're just a fly buzzing around Asuna-sama!"

Kirito jumped in to mock first.

Kuradeel then noticed him and immediately scolded, "How dare you, spreading rumors about Asuna-sama!"

"Huh? I was going to say that yesterday, but are you out of your mind? I've never spread rumors about Asuna," Kirito said, feeling his head couldn't keep up with the other's thought process.

"Then who is it?"

Asuna and Kirito both looked at Hachiman at the same time.

"Hey, why are you both looking at me?"

"Because~"

"So it's you, you bastard!"

Kuradeel's roar drew a crowd.

"Look! It's Flash Asuna!"

"The real deal!"

"Are they fighting over her?"

Hearing the commotion around him, Hachiman sighed, "What a huge hassle."

"Hey Hachiman..."

Hachiman raised his hand to stop Kirito.

He then pulled the slender girl close by the waist, while Asuna's amber eyes widened in surprise.

"H-Hachiman?"

"Hachiman?!"

In their shocked gaze, Hachiman said to the furious Kuradeel, "Listen carefully, the rumors are true. The one always by Asuna's side is none other than me."

"Huh? Hachiman?"

Asuna was frightened by Hachiman's unusual behavior, but he continued to provoke: "See? Your vice-captain isn't resisting."

"Scoundrel! Let go of Asuna-sama!"

"Scoundrel?"

Asuna angrily hugged Hachiman, and the crowd immediately whistled.

"Got it? What you heard wasn't a rumor; it's the truth."

"Bastard..."

Kuradeel was so angry his nose seemed crooked.

"Besides, Asuna doesn't need a weakling bodyguard. With me here, that's enough."

He pointed tremblingly at Hachiman. "You call me weak? You, who haven't even been to the frontlines! You didn't perform at all during the last raid!"

The three were stunned, then suddenly realized.

"Ah~ I see."

"Kuradeel joined raids starting from around the 65th floor, right?"

"At that time, Hachiman definitely wasn't participating."

"This guy has no idea about my background."

Hachiman waved his hand impatiently, "Anyway, you're too weak, so disappear quickly."

"A duel! I want to duel you!"

"Fine."

His straightforward agreement shocked Asuna and Kirito—it was completely unlike the trouble-averse Hachiman.

"Using half-reduction mode?"

"Okay."

"Asuna, go to Kirito's side."

"Okay."

Asuna ran off, occasionally glancing back anxiously.

What worried her wasn't the outcome of the fight, but Hachiman's unusual behavior.

"Kirito, do you think Hachiman might be..."

"Discovered something?"

"No... let's wait until it's over."

"It'll be over in a minute anyway."

Hachiman adjusted his shield position ahead of time.

The moment the countdown reached zero, he vanished.

The next second, Kuradeel's face took a punch, then he was struck by sword techniques and knocked away.

The entire sequence flowed smoothly like slicing vegetables.

When Hachiman was astride him and brandished a dagger, the fight was decided—the entire process took only three seconds.

"A speed even I can't see clearly... What did Asuna want to say just now?" Kirito looked at the system record.

Asuna stared fixedly at Hachiman's tense profile.

The usually lazy young man now furrowed his brow.

"Well... although Hachiman looks annoyed, he might really be angry."

"Does he get angry like this?"

"I've hardly ever seen him angry, but this is the expression he makes when he's upset."

"Really...?"

'So he gets scary like this when angry?'

Hachiman beckoned Asuna over and provocatively pulled her waist close again.

Kirito clicked his tongue: 'He even added insult to injury, he must really be angry.'

"Now do you know how weak you are? If you dare to stalk again, I'll kill you.

During Knights of the Blood activities, I can turn a blind eye, but I will never forgive perverted behavior. Also, Asuna's true place—"

Hachiman suddenly pulled Asuna into his arms tightly:

"Is here."

"About the rumors—"

The girl's heartbeat was deafening.

"—From today on, they're no longer rumors."

Asuna blushed, confused more than shy: 'This is the first time I've seen this side of Hachiman.'

Perhaps this was his first display of possessiveness, but a hint of sweetness rose in Asuna's heart.

"Damn! But I'm only doing my duty!"

"Stop using your duty as an excuse for being a pervert."

"I'll say this one last time," Asuna said sternly, "Your bodyguard duty is terminated. Report back to the captain immediately."

Watching Kuradeel slink away, the crowd erupted.

"So awesome!"

"Hachiman's so cool!"

"So Asuna already has someone..."

"Damn! I'm a fan!"

The three fled amid the chaos, while Klein and his group passing by witnessed the entire spectacle.

"I've never seen that side of Hachiman before."

"I was shocked too."

"Huh? What?"

"You were definitely angry just now."

"No way... wait?"

On the way to the dungeon, Hachiman suddenly came back to himself.

"Just now I..."

"Lost yourself because you were angry, huh?"

"Probably so..."

"Doesn't matter, Asuna looked pretty happy."

"As-Asuna? Well..."

The girl repeated with a bright smile:

"My true place is right here."

"Ahhh!"

Asuna said this and leaned in again.

Hachiman instantly froze.

"I already told Liz and Silica."

"So ruthless..."

"But I didn't tell Argo!"

"Hachiman should thank you, right?"

"Th-Thanks..."

"You're welcome~"

"But if Liz finds out, she'll nag me to death when we meet..."

Actually, the info broker Argo had already gotten the news.

Kirito patted the dejected Hachiman:

"But you were super cool just now."

"But it doesn't suit me... and it's embarrassing."

"What do you mean suits you? This is the real you. It's only normal to cherish the important people in your life. You always suppress your feelings, but you really don't have to."

"Be frank, huh..."

"My true place is indeed here."

Looking at Asuna's radiant smile, Hachiman finally made up his mind to take a step forward—even though he still acted tsundere.

"Um... Asuna. After today's exploration, if you want... you can move into my place.

That way, that jerk can't bother you. Purely for safety, just in case. Of course, we'll keep our distance."

Asuna was immediately at a loss for words, while Kirito chuckled beside her.

Eventually, she blushed and said:

"Well then... sorry to bother you."

"Good! We'll have a moving party later!"

"Sounds good."

Usually trouble-averse Hachiman was surprisingly straightforward.

Since being trapped in SAO, his change had been drastic.

Whether good or bad, at this moment he indeed felt—this version of himself seemed not so bad.